Online football betting students who want to add a little intrigue to their week might be interested in making an upset play here, taking the Pacers to beat the Heat. The advantage Indiana must continue to pursue is connected to the X-factor for the Heat. Miami is at its best not necessarily when LeBron James is at his best, because LeBron is at his best almost all the time. LeBron usually needs help in order to win a series, and the man who must help him more than anyone else on the Heat’s roster is forward Chris Bosh. You will recall that in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Bosh got injured in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pacers. Miami struggled without Bosh in Games 2 and 3, but in Game 4, Dwyane Wade came up big to turn that series around.

Wade, though, is not as healthy as he was in Game 4 of the Pacers series last year. He is simply not as dynamic a scorer. Miami needs Bosh to deliver the goods in this series, not just as a jump shooter, but as a rebounder. He can’t be expected to out-rebound Hibbert and teammate David West, but he has to be competitive on the glass and get his fair share of defensive rebounds. West, though, has been enjoying a better series than Bosh by a considerable margin. If West dominates Bosh in Game 5, Indiana will have a very good chance of winning on the road in Miami.

Why Miami Will Win

With an online horse betting guru or a college football betting expert, the calculus of a given event can be boiled down to some simple realities.

Miami has a game plan that can and should work. James used a post-up game to great effect in Game 3 on Sunday, when Miami cruised to victory by an 18-point margin. James did not post up very much in Game 4 on Tuesday, however, and Indiana was able to knot the series at two games apiece. James should be able to post up more in this game, returning to his Game 3 formula. LeBron should be able to use his physical strength against a smaller and thinner defender, Pacer wing Paul George. This should give Miami a tactical advantage and open up more opportunities for the Heat’s role players, specifically Wade and reserve guard Ray Allen, who began to find his shooting stroke in Indianapolis over the past few days.

One thing that also has to be said about this game is that Miami is so good when coming off a loss. The Heat have gone multiple months without losing two games in a row. In fact, they haven’t lost two games in a row since the month of January. Those are tall odds for the Pacers to counter, especially since this game is in Miami. Yes, Miami lost Game 5 of a 2-2 East Finals series last year against the Boston Celtics, but the Heat should be able to respond on this occasion.

Who Will Win?

The sense here is that if Chris Bosh can play at a decent level – not spectacularly, but reasonably well – the Heat can space the floor on offense and limit Indiana’s rebounding. The Heat will win the game, but the Pacers will cover.